


A Surprise for Benji

by all_the_ships_are_sailing



Category: Love Victor (TV 2020)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day, direct mention of sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 07:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29364474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_the_ships_are_sailing/pseuds/all_the_ships_are_sailing
Summary: First of all, I never intended for this to be a 10k fic, but here we are.Victor is struggling to figure out a Valentine's Day date for Benji. It's their first Valentine's together (nearly a year after the events of Love, Victor Season 1). Benji has surprised Victor over and over again throughout the first year of their relationship including the previous weekend for his 17th birthday, but Victor is determined to do the surprising for once.
Relationships: Benjamin "Benji" Campbell/Victor Salazar
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37
Collections: Venji Fic Fests: Valentine's Day 2021





	A Surprise for Benji

It’s the Wednesday before Valentine’s Day and I’m at basketball practice. My head is definitely not in the game and both Coach Ford and Andrew have noticed. Hell, I think Kieran and Teddy have noticed. “Dude, where the hell are you?” Andrew asks after I fail to catch a completely open pass.

“Sorry,” I say.

He laughs. “Still stressing about Sunday?” he asks, walking closer to me as I go to pick up the ball. I nod.

“What are you doing for Mia?” I ask. “I just keep failing to come up with anything worthy of Benji.”

He chuckles and shrugs. “Roses, chocolate, and a fancy dinner. Doesn’t exactly sound your speed, Salazar.”

I sigh. “Yeah. I do _not_ have the budget for a fancy dinner and most fancy places in Atlanta wouldn’t want _us_ within a hundred-foot radius.”

“And you’re sure _he’s_ not planning something?”

“Yep. We agreed that because my birthday is so close to Valentine’s he’d take my birthday, which was fucking magical, and I’d be responsible for this,” I say with a little groan. “I’m regretting that decision more with each day.”

“What are Felix and Lake doing?” he asks.

I roll my eyes. “Felix’s mom is out of town for the weekend.”

“Yeah,” he says. “Right. Um, I miss when Mia’s dad was always gone,” he says in a sort of far-off way.

I chuckle. “That damn baby.”

He laughs. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. The baby is cute, but they’re home _all the time_.”

“What about your parents?”

He rolls his eyes. “My mom rarely leaves the house and my dad’s always at work.”

I nod. “That sucks.”

“Yeah.”

“Salazar! Spencer!” Coach Ford yells and that’s when I realize we’re still standing at the side of the gym and I’m just holding the ball.

We both laugh and jog toward him. “Sorry, Coach,” I say as I hand him the ball.

He rolls his eyes. “You better get your head back on straight before Friday, Salazar. I’d like to actually hold our own against Whitman.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” I say with a sigh.

He looks at his watch and then blows his whistle. I jump a little. “We’re done. Hit the showers,” he yells once everyone’s looking at him. “Salazar,” he says when I start to turn away. “Can I steal you for a minute?”

I nod. “Sure. What is it, Coach?”

“You practice like that again tomorrow and you’re on the bench Friday. You understand?”

I nod. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“What is going on with you this week?”

I laugh. “It’s complicated.” He raises an eyebrow. I take a deep breath. “Um, Valentine’s day is Sunday,” I say shrugging a little.

“Worried about what you’re getting your boyfriend?” he asks.

“Something like that,” I say. “He sort of went all out for my birthday last weekend and I’m feeling the pressure to do something equally amazing for him this weekend.”

He nods a little. “Well, get it figured out kid, and get your head back in this game. We need you if we’re going to stand any chance of winning on Friday.”

“Yes, Coach,” I say and then I jog toward the locker room.

Once we’re showered and changed, I pick up my backpack from the bench. Andrew claps my shoulder. “You work tonight?” he asks.

I nod. “That would be why I’m wearing this shirt,” I say with a laugh.

“He work tonight?”

“Of course,” I say. “He makes the schedule. It’s extremely rare that one of us works when the other doesn’t.” I laugh a little. “Which means, I get to go spend four and a half hours pretending I have something amazing planned for Sunday while internally freaking out because I have literally nothing planned. It’ll be great fun. Then I get to go home and do that stupid amount of Pre-Calc and Chem homework we got today, because why not add that to the pile of reasons I’m never going to be able to figure out what to do for him.”

Andrew chuckles. “Well, good luck, Salazar,” he says and then we part ways. He heads for the student parking lot and I head for the front doors of the school so I can walk to work. I swear I might be the only junior, other than Felix of course, without a car at this school. And all of their cars are brand freaking new. Audis and BMWs and every other luxury car under the god-damned sun. I swear Shady Creek is disgustingly rich.

When I walk in the front door of Brasstown, it’s as Sarah’s leaving. “Oh, Victor, good, you’re here.”

“I am. I had basketball,” I say as I pass her and walk toward the counter. Benji chuckles from where he’s making a drink. “I’ll be right out,” I whisper as I walk past him. I touch his elbow briefly and he smiles at me. I throw my backpack in my locker, clock in, and tie my apron on before rejoining Benji at the counter. There’s no line and he’s finished whatever drink he was making.

“How was practice?” he asks. He smiles at me and I see his eyes flicker over my whole body for a second.

“You’re so obvious,” I tell him with a wink, “and practice was fine.”

“So, are you going to give me any clues about Sunday yet?”

“Absolutely not. It’s going to be a surprise.”

He groans. “Fine, then I’m making our anniversary a surprise for you.”

I sigh. “Yeah, fine. Not that you didn’t already make my birthday a surprise. Or Christmas or New Year’s or Mia’s Halloween party or the fourth of July or our very first date or… do I need to keep going?”

He chuckles. “I like surprising you. Your face is always so cute,” he says and then he kisses my cheek and I blush.

I shake my head at him. “You’re the actual worst.”

He gasps and puts his hand on his chest. “How dare you!”

I chuckle. “You know I’m kidding. You’re the best and I love you,” I say and then I kiss his cheek, too.

Someone clears their throat at the counter and I feel myself blushing again. Benji giggles and then goes to take the order. I start making the first drink as soon as the order is out of the guy’s mouth and then Benji joins me to make the second.

The rest of the night flows smoothly and Benji doesn’t even bring up Valentine’s Day again until after the door is locked. “So, what am I supposed to wear on this mystery date Sunday?” he asks as we’re wiping down tables. “Or is that too much of a clue?”

“Hmm. I’m not going to tell you now because it’ll give you too much time to think about it. I’ll text you on Sunday morning with a dress code.” _When I figure out what the hell we’re actually doing_.

He chuckles and kisses my cheek. I bite my lip and look at him. “We’re alone now you know,” I say and he smirks and then kisses me for real and I kiss him back and everything is perfect. This definitely doesn’t happen every time we close together, no way. Okay, it definitely does and I definitely love every second of it. When we close together is some of the only time we’re truly and completely alone without anyone watching or listening.

My house is never empty. My mom’s teaching piano in the living room. My brother and sister are in their rooms across the hall from mine. My dad’s either at work or sitting in the living room watching whatever sport is in season. He’d moved out for 6 months last year, but after an intense bout of marriage counseling, he’d moved back in and things were a lot better than before.

Benji’s parents don’t hover as much as mine do, but they’re still around. Once and a while we get lucky and they go somewhere together or go places at the same time, but it’s never for more than an hour or two.

So, we kiss when we close. The backroom of Brasstown has seen much more than it ever wanted to, but then again so has the bathroom. Thanks, Felix and Lake. Once we have everything cleaned, we walk toward the lockers and both clock out for the night. Benji glances up at the clock on the wall. “We have 37 minutes until you have to be home,” he says quietly. I glance up and nod. Then he’s kissing me again and he has me pinned against the wall a second later.

He moves his lips to my neck after a minute. “Don’t you dare leave a mark,” I growl. “I am not dealing with my mom seeing another hickey on me.”

He chuckles against my skin. “Come on, she wasn’t that bad.”

“Do you not understand how fucking awkward that conversation was?”

He laughs. “Oh, you’ve told me.”

“My mother, who a year ago would have looked at you like you had two heads if you mentioned gay sex in general gave me the most detailed sex talk in the universe, Benji. It was beyond awkward. It was embarrassing and _fuck_. Okay, but that feels really good.”

He chuckles and kisses my neck again. “I’m sorry. I actually have a few minutes alone with my extremely hot boyfriend, excuse me for making the most of it,” he breathes.

“You’re excused,” I say quietly.

“Good,” he says and then he brings his lips back to mine.

When we’re actually leaving the store a while later, I chuckle as Benji sets the alarm before taking my hand. “One of these days, Sarah’s going to check the history on that thing and see we never set it until almost ten.”

“She’s never checked the alarm history in her life,” Benji says.

“You say that now.”

He laughs and we walk toward his car. His car is new by my standards, but not Creekwood standards and it’s nice, but it’s not Creekwood nice. He bought it last summer after his suspension ended because part of his parents’ rules following all of that was that he wasn’t allowed to drive their cars anymore, which I can’t say I blame them. He drives to my apartment complex and parks in front of my building. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he says with a wink.

I lean across the car and kiss him. “See you,” I whisper.

He bites his lip for a second and I raise my eyebrow at him. “Can we leave early tomorrow?”

I laugh a little. “What did you have in mind?”

He shrugs. “6:45 instead of 7?” he asks. “I could go for fifteen minutes of making out in my car at the back of the parking lot before school.”

I smile at him. “I’ll see you at 6:45,” I say and then I kiss him again.

“I love you, Vic,” he says.

“I love you, too.” I get out of the car and wave to him as I walk toward the building. I hear him pull away just as I open the door and then I walk upstairs. “I’m home,” I say as I open the apartment door.

My parents are in the living and they glance at each other and shrug. “Exactly on time,” my mom says.

“As always,” my dad adds and I tilt my hands up a little before walking back the hallway.

Pilar is standing in her doorway when I walk by, I look at her. “Is no one ever going to mention that after you started dating Benji, closing shifts suddenly started lasting an extra half hour?” she asks.

I sigh and stare at her. “Are you done?”

She laughs. “Yeah. But you’d think with all that extra time, you two wouldn’t also have to disappear at school all the time, too.” She shrugs and walks back into her room, closing the door. I pull out my phone as I drop my backpack next to my desk chair.

_Now for 3 hours of homework, barely enough sleep to survive, and trying not to murder my sister before I get coffee in the morning._

_Yikes. Maybe I should have taken you home earlier. [winky face]_

_We both know that was never going to happen. [kissy face]_

I pull out my Pre-Calc book and get started on the ridiculous amount of work, Mr. Franklin assigned tonight. It’s halfway through that homework that I realize what I want to do on Sunday, but it’s immediately after that when I realize I have no idea how to make it happen. At least not in Atlanta. If we were back in Graham, I’d have a few ideas, but not here. And it’s two math problems later, I realize I know someone who might just have the information I need, so I pull my phone out again. I don’t even look at the time before sending the message.

_I need your help._

_This should be interesting. Go on._

_I need to find somewhere to take Benji on Sunday that we can actually be alone and I know next to nothing in Atlanta that fits that bill. HELP ME._

_Valentine’s Day, ah romance._

_Simon, shut up and tell me if you can help. I have to figure something out._

_You do know it’s almost midnight, right?_

_Shit. I’m sorry. I’m literally still working on homework. I had basketball and then I had to close at work, so I didn’t get home until 10 and Mr. Franklin gave us enough homework for a week, plus I still have Chem to do, too._

_I’m kidding, Vic. It’s fine. How alone are we talking here?_

_As alone as possible._

_Are his parents not going out to dinner?_

_They are, but that gives us an hour. I was hoping we could have more than an hour…_

_[laughing emoji] Right. ROMANCE! Let me get Bram real quick and we’ll see what we can think up. I’ll be right back with you._

I sigh and set my phone down. I go back to my Pre-Calc homework. This is exhausting and I really hope Simon and Bram can up with something because I’m running out of ideas here. I wish I could go classic and simple like Andrew or that my family would randomly decide to go away for the weekend like Felix's mom, but nope. This is what I’m stuck with. I keep checking my phone every time I get through one step of a problem. It’s half an hour later and I’m switching out my Pre-Calc homework for Chem when my phone vibrates. I put the Chem book on my desk and pick up the phone to open Simon’s texts.

_Benji has a car, right?_

_He does._

_So, Bram had an idea. It’s not in Atlanta, though. Are you opposed to a little road trip?_

_Benji loves road trips so no._

_Bram actually grew up in Savannah until right before our freshman year of high school and then he moved to Shady Creek and fell in love with me and the rest is history. EXCEPT this place. He took me there once when we were in Savannah visiting his dad. It’s amazing and it definitely fits the bill for some alone time._

_How far is Savannah exactly?_

_Four hours each way? Too much?_

_Shit! I just realized Monday’s a holiday. There’s not school, so no. That’s perfect. I won’t have to be home until 12. If we leave in the morning, we can spend a decent chunk of time there. That’s absolutely perfect._

_Aha! Amazing. Okay. I’m going to have Bram text you the GPS coordinates and instructions on how to actually get there, okay? He’ll also provide some top-notch food recommendations in Savannah for your Valentine’s Day dinner. [heart emoji]_

_You guys are actually amazing. Thank you so much. You seriously just saved my butt._

I set my phone back down and get to work on the Chemistry. My phone dings with three consecutive messages from Bram a few minutes later and I check them. The first is literal GPS coordinates like latitude and longitude coordinates. The next is instructions on how to get there from where we’ll have to park. And the last is a link to a restaurant website.

_I think that covers it._

_You’re amazing!_

I type the coordinates into google maps just to get an idea and I’m a little confused until I read his directions. The coordinates are right in the middle of a huge wooded park outside town. But when I read his instructions it starts to make sense. Apparently, he discovered this place in middle school and they’re pretty sure no one else knows about it. There’s a bunch of trails through the park, but apparently if you go a few hundred yards off one of them and behind a very old and very large tree there’s a clearing. Not a large one, but big enough for a picnic blanket and the maps don’t show it because it’s almost entirely covered by trees in the summer when all the pictures are taken.

***

“You’re coming to Victor’s game tonight, right?” Felix asks Benji as we’re sitting down for lunch on Friday.

“Obviously,” Benji says.

“HEY! It’s not _Victor’s_ game,” Andrew says indignantly.

“Yeah, but he’s the only one I care about,” Benji says, shrugging.

“Sorry, Andrew, but Victor’s mom said it best. Salazar is a Sala-STAR!” Felix adds and I roll my eyes.

“Guys, you do realize basketball is a _team_ sport, right?” I say, glancing at Andrew. He smiles appreciatively. “Andrew is just as much a part of _my_ team as Kieran or Teddy or any of the other guys.” I say with a laugh.

Andrew shouts again and Mia grabs his hand. “Calm down. I’m coming to _your_ game if it makes you feel any better,” she says.

“A little,” he admits, but he glares at me and I laugh.

“Oh, calm down, I’m kidding,” I say.

“Has your mom made her sign yet?” Felix asks.

Pilar rolls her eyes. “ _Yes_. She had paint and glitter all over the living room last night!”

“Glitter?” he asks, intrigued. “That’s new.”

“ _That_ ,” she says emphatically, “was _his_ idea.” She nods toward Benji and he shrugs.

“Should have guessed,” Felix chuckles.

Benji’s friend Lucy walks over a second later. “Hey,” she says and Benji looks up.

“What’s up?”

“Can I sit with you today?”

He shrugs. “Yeah, sure,” and then he glances around the table and everyone else shrugs, too, so Lucy takes the last empty seat next to Pilar.

“Hey, Lucy,” Lake says with a smile.

Lucy smiles back for a second. “Hey,” she says. “Um, Benji…”

“Yeah?” he asks, turning to face her.

“What are you doing Sunday?”

“Good question!” he says and he turns to glare at me. “This one won’t tell me _anything_.”

I laugh and pretend to zip my lips closed and throw away an imaginary key. I haven’t told anyone about our plans yet. Other than warning my parents I’ll be gone literally all day, but promise to be back by curfew after reminding them there’s no school on Monday.

“He won’t even tell me,” Felix says. “Don’t feel bad.” I chuckle.

“Oh, um, are you guys going to be busy _all day_?”

“Yes,” I say. “We’re leaving early and won’t be home until curfew.” He stares at me. That’s the biggest hint I’ve given him yet. I shrug a little and smile at Lucy for a second. “Sorry,” I tell her.

“No, it’s okay. Tell me what you’re doing though,” she says.

“Not in front of him. It’s a _surprise_ ,” I say.

“You two and your surprises,” she groans. “I’m trying to figure out where to take Maggie for dinner. Anyone have any brilliant ideas?" She looks around the table. "I was considering suggesting a double date at least for dinner, but as you two are clearly doing something extravagant, I guess I just need to figure something out.”

“Not extravagant,” I say. “But we will not be available for those purposes. Though, we _should_ definitely go on a non-Valentine’s double date soon,” I add with a smile.

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, alright. We’ll figure something out. But seriously, dinner ideas? I’ve got nothing,” she says and then we all try to help her figure something out and eventually she settles on something Lake suggests just before the bell rings.

“Where are we going?” Benji demands when we stop in front of my locker. I shrug. “All day though. Like _all day_?”

I nod a little and bite my lip. “I’m not telling you anything else. I haven’t even told my parents where we’re going just that I won’t be home until curfew, which reminder is midnight because there’s not school Monday,” I say with a wink.

“We’re staying out until midnight?”

I nod and shrug. “You’ll see. I promise you’ll like it. I love you, but please stop asking me questions I can’t answer.”

He narrows his eyes for a second. “I love you, too.”

I chuckle a little and then kiss him briefly. “So, are you coming over before the game or just meeting us there?”

“I believe your mother invited me to dinner.”

“She did, but you are under no obligation to endure that torture.”

“Torture, Victor? Seriously?”

“You know my parents, Benji. I’m not forcing you to eat with them.”

He laughs. “I’m coming to dinner,” he says and then he kisses me again. “You’re absolutely ridiculous.” He grabs my hand and pulls me toward his locker as soon as I close mine. “Also, would it be okay if I just come home with you after school? We can just work on homework or whatever, but I’d like to spend time with you since we managed to escape having to work on a Friday.”

I laugh a little. “Yeah, that’s fine. My mom doesn’t teach on Fridays, but I’m sure she’ll be there and Pilar will definitely be there and Adrian when he gets off.”

“I know,” he says. “Like I said, we can do homework or whatever, since apparently we won’t have any time for that on Sunday and Sarah’s making me work literally all day tomorrow since I managed to get off both today and Sunday.”

“I’m gonna be right there with you all day and you know it.”

“I swear this shouldn’t be legal,” he says.

“Everything’s legal when you turn 16, apparently,” I groan.

“Except: smoking, drinking, and sex with someone twice your age.”

“And voting.”

“And military service.”

“Okay, so not everything’s legal when you turn 16,” I say with a laugh. “Also, I never understood the appeal of the sex with someone twice your age thing. People are weird.”

“Agreed. I’ll just stick to having sex with you,” he says quietly.

“Same,” I agree and then I kiss his cheek.

“If we can ever find two minutes alone somewhere other than Brasstown’s back room or the janitor’s closet,” he says with a wink.

I chuckle. “I really wish your parents went out more.”

“ _God_ , that would be nice,” he says with a sigh as he puts his combination into his locker. “And you’re still not going to tell me _anything_ about Sunday other than we’ll be out all day?”

“Absolutely not,” I say. “But I promise you’ll love it.”

***

When we get home after school, Pilar immediately goes into her room and slams the door shut. My mom stares down the hall after her. “Did something happen?” she asks, glancing at me and Benji.

I shake my head. “Not that I know of. She found us as we were leaving and asked for a ride. He gave her a ride and she was fine. Then that,” I say, staring at my sister’s bedroom door. “Not a clue.”

“Weird,” my mom says. “Whatever. Are Felix and Lake coming for dinner? I want to make sure your dad picks up enough pizza.”

“They should be,” I confirm.

“Okay,” she says. “I’ll let him know. What are your plans for the weekend anyway?” She glances between us again.

“Homework tonight,” I say. “Basketball game. Work literally all day tomorrow to pay off the eternal debt of having today and Sunday off to Sarah. And I told you about Sunday,” I say with a shrug.

“You did not ‘tell me about Sunday’,” she says. She’s giving me the same look Benji has been all week and I roll my eyes.

“I told you all you need to know. We’re leaving early and we won’t be back until late. I promise to be home by curfew which is 12, because there’s not school Monday. That’s all you need to know.”

“I need to know where you’re going to be Victor.”

“I'll tell you before I leave on Sunday morning. I’m not telling a soul until then, because he _will_ find out if I do. Not even Felix knows.”

“Wait. Does _Simon_ know?” Benji says suddenly. _Why did he have to realize that?_

“No,” I lie.

“Victor, I know your lying face. Simon knows?”

“Simon and Bram are the only people other than me that know and they won’t tell you, so don’t even try.” My mom is still staring at us. “Don’t give me that look,” I say.

“You don’t get to talk to you mother like that,” she says.

“Sorry. Just. I want this to be an actual surprise and he won’t stop asking me, so I can’t risk anyone knowing anything.”

“I won’t tell him.”

“Well, either way, I clearly can’t tell you right now, can I?” I say. She doesn’t respond. “Exactly, so, we’re going to my room to work on homework. Let us know when Dad’s here with the pizza.” I grab Benji’s hand and pull him down the hall.

“Leave that door open!” she calls after us.

“Mom, I know,” I say and I shake my head. Benji laughs and sits on the side of my bed with his bag next to him as I push the door so it’s barely open. Then I walk to my desk and drop my backpack to the floor. “How much homework do you have?”

“Not much,” he says, shrugging. “I need to work on my project for art, but I’ll do that Monday. I need stuff that’s at my house. And I have to do some Calc problems and this stupid problem set for Econ. What d’you have?”

“A paper for AP Comp,” I say rolling my eyes. “When don’t I have one of those? Pre-Calc problems, a couple problems for Chem, and I have to study for AP Euro or I’m going to fail the test on Tuesday.”

“Yikes. They really loaded you up this weekend,” he says as he flops backwards across my bed.

“Yes, and you distracting me by laying on my bed like that isn’t going to help me get any of it done,” I say with a sigh.

“Laying on your bed like what?” he asks, turning his head to look at me.

“You know perfectly well ‘like what’,” I say and then I turn around to face my desk as I pull out my Pre-Calc book and a notebook. I’m just on the verge of coping the first problem into my notebook when something hits the back of my head. I turn around. “What did you just throw at me?”

He starts laughing immediately. “Nothing.”

“Yeah, well, I felt something hit my head. What did you throw?” He points to the floor. There’s a balled-up piece of notebook paper, so I pick it up and I’m about to throw it back at him when he holds up a hand.

“No, open it,” he says.

“What?”

“Open it,” he says again and I raise and eyebrow at him before rolling my eyes and uncrumpling the paper. One I have it flattened out I see, in Benji’s ridiculously neat handwriting, a single sentence.

_Will you be my Valentine?_

And below that is a heart-shaped balloon with a yes and another heart-shaped balloon with a no and holding the strings of the balloons are two very roughly sketched people that are very clearly supposed to be us. I throw my head back for a second and laugh a little. “You’re a dork.”

He smirks at me. “You have to answer the question.”

“Benji, are you serious right now?”

He nods and smiles at me. I roll my eyes and get up from desk chair. I tackle him backwards onto my bed and kiss him intensely. “I literally have an entire day-long date planned and you’re still being an absolute dork and asking me to be your Valentine right now?” He nods again. “Yes, Benji, I’ll be your Valentine. Because we are apparently five.”

He chuckles a little. “Hey, I thought it was cute and it did get you to come over here and kiss me.”

“It was cute and you could have just asked me to come over here and kiss you, you know?” I tell him and then I kiss him again before sitting up.

“But you were doing homework and yelling at me for distracting you by laying down, because apparently laying down is distracting to some people,” he says and he doesn’t sit up.

“So you doodled that and threw it at my head?”

He nods and I shake my head. “You are such a dork.”

“But you love me.”

“I do,” I agree. “I love you entirely too much if we’re being fair which is exactly why I have an entire day-long date planned for Sunday and I am not telling you a damn thing about it.” I smirk at him as I stand back up. “Now, I’m going back to working on Pre-Calc. No more paper balls to the head please.”

He chuckles. “Okay, okay, oh studious boyfriend, sir. I’ll stop distracting you.” I groan. “Sorry,” he says quietly and I roll my eyes.

“Just shush okay. I need to get this homework done.”

“Do it Monday,” he suggests.

“Can I please finish at least the Pre-Calc tonight and maybe the Chem? I’ll save the essay and studying Euro for Monday,” I say, turning around to look at him.

He sits up. “Fine. I guess I might as well do my Calc then.”

“Thank you,” I say. “I love you, but I still need to get good grades. I’m not getting a basketball scholarship to a D1 school on my good looks and game skills alone.”

“Isn’t the only thing that really matters for a basketball scholarship the basketball part? Also, they _should_ give you a scholarship for your good looks,” he says and I laugh.

“Not exactly. I still have to actually academically get into whatever school, too, you know.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess I didn’t think about that.”

“Of course, you didn’t. So, shush and let me do my homework.”

***

We manage to squeak out a 2-point win over Whitman thanks to my buzzer beater lay-up. I glance to where my friends are in the front row of the student section and the entire section is jumping up and down and cheering. Then I look to where my family is in the middle of the general population before Andrew runs into my shoulder and nods back toward our friends. I follow his gaze and both Benji (wearing my away jersey) and Mia (wearing Andrew’s away jersey) are staring at us. I laugh and walk toward them.

“You were AMAZING!” Felix says slapping my shoulder, but I’m not looking at him.

Benji grabs both sides of my face with his hands and kisses me thoroughly for a long minute. I vaguely hear someone behind Benji wolf-whistling and someone else, behind me this time, shouting to ‘get a room’, but I don’t care. I kiss him back until he pulls away and smirks at me. “Pretty impressive,” he says.

“That doesn’t mean much coming from someone that had never watched a basketball game in his life until November,” I say with a smirk.

He shrugs. “I’m sorry, I’m only here to ogle my basketball superstar boyfriend. I don’t actually have any idea what happened in the game,” he says sarcastically. I roll my eyes and then hug him tightly. It’s then that I notice my family is already making their way toward us and I groan. I can tell my mom is about to be _beyond_ embarrassing.

“SALAZAR! SPENCER!” Coach Ford’s voice booms across the gym and I whirl around to find Andrew next to me again. “Care to join your teammates, please?” he says impatiently and we start jogging. “2 minutes and then you can go back to whatever the hell you were doing over there,” he says as we get closer.

“Sorry, Coach,” Andrew says.

“I’m not,” I whisper and Andrew laughs quietly.

We huddle up and Coach Ford blabbers on about how amazing we all were, while staring at me and Andrew. And then says “No practice Monday, even though I was going to have you guys come in. You deserve the long weekend.” And my eyes go wide. That means I have nowhere to be until my 5 o’clock closing shift at Brasstown and that also means I’m going to be free the entire day while Benji’s parents are at work. I smirk to myself and glance over my shoulder to where Benji is now talking to my mom about god knows what and then turn back to Coach Ford. “I’ll see you all on Tuesday after school. Hit the showers and enjoy your weekend boys!” He puts his hand in the middle and we all put ours on top. “1-2-3-GRIZZLIES!” we all shout and then I turn and practically run across the gym to save Benji from my parents.

“Sorry about that,” I say, grabbing Benji’s hand immediately. He looks up and smiles at me for a second before chuckling.

“I was just saying,” my mom says and I look at her, “we should all go for celebratory ice cream!”

“Are they even still open?” I ask.

“It’s Friday,” Pilar says. “They’re open until 10.” Pilar and Adrian had gotten to know the ice cream shop really well before my dad moved out because it was their reprieve from my parents’ constant fighting.

I shrug. “Okay.”

“You go get changed or whatever and we’ll be waiting outside, okay?” my mom says.

“Um, yeah. I’m just gonna grab my bag. I’ll shower and stuff when we get home. You go on. I’ll ride with Benji and we’ll meet you there. Promise.”

She gives me a look for a second but then nods. Once my family disappears, I pull Benji toward the hallway. “You’re welcome,” I say with a laugh.

“Huh?”

“For making my parents leave,” I say laughing. “I’ll just be a minute.” I let go of his hand and walk into the locker room.

“SALAZAR!” Teddy says, slapping my back when I get my locker.

“Bro! That last minute basket!” Kieran adds, holding out a fist which I bump.

“Totally sweet,” Teddy says.

“Thanks guys,” I say and then I pull my bag out and make sure everything’s in it. “Hey, I’m gonna shower at home. My parents want to get ice cream or something, so I’ll see you guys Tuesday.”

“Mia and I are gonna stop by for coffee tomorrow, I think,” Andrew says before I can leave. “Give you two some good conversation for a little,” he adds with a wink and I laugh.

“We’ll need it. We’re stuck there for 13 hours,” I groan.

“THIRTEEN HOURS!?!” Kieran says.

“Yeah, man. _All day_. I’m just glad we don’t open until 9 on weekends. This is apparently our punishment for both wanting off tonight and Sunday.”

“You ever figure out what you’re doing Sunday?” Andrew asks.

I nod. “Oh yeah. Got it all settled.” He raises an eyebrow. “Nope. No one knows. Not even my parents know where we’re going and my mom’s a little upset about it.”

He laughs. “How’d you figure it out? You were really struggling.”

“I got a little help.” He tilts his head at me. “Simon and Bram,” I admit.

He laughs. “Ah, yes, your gay godfathers. How are they these days?”

“Good,” I say with a laugh. “Anyway. I gotta go. I left Benji waiting in the hallway. I’ll see you guys Tuesday or tomorrow or whatever. Bye.” I quickly leave before they can stop me again and rejoin Benji in the hallway.

***

Twelve and a half hours at Brasstown is the actual most exhausting thing to ever happen. When Benji locks the door at nine, and flips the sign to closed, he turns around and just stares at me. We both groan simultaneously and then laugh. “Guess we have to clean up now,” he says and I’m pretty sure he’s half asleep as he walks back toward the counter.

“I literally don’t care what time it is. I’m drinking another cold brew,” I say as I open the fridge. “I’m going to fall asleep if I don’t.”

“I’m making an Americano,” he agrees. “I don’t even fucking like Americanos, but I need the caffeine or I will actually die and I need to at least live until tomorrow to see what the fuck you’ve been hiding from me.”

I laugh as he goes to the espresso machine. “Speaking of,” I say casually and he whirls around, suddenly wide awake. I laugh even more. “Calm down, I’m not actually telling you anything relevant yet. Just, make sure you’re outside waiting to pick me up by, let’s say seven tomorrow morning.”

“SEVEN!?!” he groans. “It’s the weekend, Victor.”

“It’ll be worth it.”

“It better be. And what am I wearing on this all-day adventure?”

“Casual, comfy, good walking shoes, probably bring a hoodie.”

“Bring an extra one?” he asks with a cheesy smile.

I roll my eyes. “Which one do you want? I thought I finally had all of them back from your house.” Seriously, I _just_ managed to sneak my last hoodie back from his bedroom last weekend.

He chuckles. “Hmm. I really like that basketball one from last year.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine, I’ll bring you that one and I’ll just bring my basketball jacket. Anyway. Seven, my apartment.”

“Yes, sir,” he says. “Now, coffee.” He turns back to the espresso machine and I drink the rest of my cold brew before I toss the cup and go to start cleaning up. Benji joins me a few minutes later and we get everything done quickly.

After we clock out, I turn to look at him. “Are you going to accost me for a make-out session right now?” I ask.

“Hmm,” he says and he pretends to think about it for a second before he walks over and kisses me. “I’m way too exhausted. I’m sorry, babe. I promise I’ll kiss you all day tomorrow though.”

I chuckle. “There are certain reasons that could be considered a bad idea. However, there are definitely parts of tomorrow where you can kiss me lots and lots.”

He tilts his head. “I don’t like these clues. They’re not helpful.” He pouts at me.

I chuckle. “It’s only because you’re half asleep.” I wink at him and then pick up my jacket and pull it on. “Take me home and then you go home and get some sleep, okay?” He nods and then he yawns. “That coffee didn’t last long, did it?” He shakes his head and grabs my hand as we head for the door.

***

My alarm goes off way too soon and I’m honestly regretting my seven o’clock departure decision, but I drag myself out of bed. I get dressed and then I make sure everything we need is in my backpack. A big, old blanket; my basketball hoodie for Benji; my basketball jacket for me; a compass; a hand drawn map that Bram emailed me and I printed because I didn’t want to risk not having phone service in the woods; the cheesiest Valentine’s Day card I could find at Target; a flashlight; and Benji’s Valentine’s Day present. My plan is to stop for snacks along the way as well as a quick lunch before we head to our actual destination. Then we have reservations at the place Bram suggested at 6 before we drive home. I still haven’t told Benji about the cancellation of Monday’s basketball practice, I figure that can be a little extra present when I give him his actual gift.

My mom is waiting in the living room when I walk out and I sigh. “You owe me a full explanation and itinerary, young man,” she says. “You’re not leaving this apartment until I have one.”

I close my eyes and nod. “First of all, the place we’re going was suggested by Bram and Simon. They’ve been there and it’s perfectly safe.”

“I’m listening,” she says.

“We’re driving to Savannah.”

“VICTOR! That’s all the way across the state!”

“It’s four hours there and four hours back. That’s why we’re leaving so early and why we’ll be gone all day. I promise we’ll be fine. We went to Willacoochee last year and you didn’t freak out and that’s just as far and we _stayed overnight_.”

“But that was for work,” she says. “And you weren’t… You weren’t dating.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay, well, that’s where we’re going. We’re going to a park Bram used to go to when he was a kid and going hiking.”

“Hiking?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Trust me. I’ll take pictures for you. And then we’re having dinner in Savannah before we drive back. We’ll be back before midnight and if there’s traffic or anything happens that might jeopardize that I will call you immediately. I promise.”

She stares at me for a long minute. “Fine, go, have fun.”

“Thank you, Mami. I’ll see you tonight or tomorrow if you’re asleep. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Victor. Please be safe. Text me when you get there and when you’re leaving to come home.”

“I will,” I promise and then I pull my phone out to check the time. It’s 6:56 and there’s a text from Benji 5 minutes ago that he’s leaving his house. “Perfect,” I mutter, mostly to myself. “Alright, well Benji’s on his way, so I’m going to head down. Bye,” I say. I don’t wait for her to respond before opening the door and quickly leaving.

I get to the sidewalk in the same second that Benji pulls up and he smirks at me. I chuckle as I open the passenger side door and get in. Before I even buckle the seat belt, I lean across and kiss him. “Good morning. I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day,” I say quietly before I kiss him a second time and then pull my seatbelt on and situate by backpack between my legs.

“What’s in the bag?” he asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Supplies,” I say quietly.

“And… where are we going?”

“Nope, not that easy, mister. First stop however is coffee and breakfast; your pick, my treat,” I say with a little smile.

“You’re still not telling me where we’re going?"

"Nope.”

“You know the only reason my parents let me go on this mystery adventure is because I pulled the I’m an adult card, right? They’re very upset that they have no idea where I’m going to be all day.”

I laugh a little. “I had to tell my mom before she’d let me out the door, so yeah. I can see that,” I say. “Hmm, give me your mom’s number, I’ll text her a brief summary.”

“Seriously?” he says, staring at me. “You’ll tell my mom, but you’re not telling me?”

“Yep,” I say with a smile and then I lean across the car to kiss him again.

He sighs and picks his phone up from where he leaves it in the console when he’s driving. He clicks through a couple things and then looks at me. “Ready?” I nod and he reads off his mom’s phone number. “I’m just going to text her first to tell her that you’re going to tell her because you’re a horrible person and won’t tell me where we’re going.”

“I’m not a horrible person. I just like surprises. And I _love_ you.” I make a little kissy noise with my mouth as I start typing a string of messages to Benji’s mom.

_Hi, Mrs. Campbell. This is Victor. Benji said you guys wanted to know where he would be all day, so I wanted to let you know, but you can’t tell him anything until later. I want it to be a surprise because he deserves it after all he’s done for me._

_We’re going to Savannah. That’s why we’ll be gone all day. We’re going to a place a friend of mine told me about (he grew up down there) to go hiking and then we’re going to have dinner along the river before we come home. I promise to have him back to you by midnight unscathed. Thank you for letting me steal him all day._

“Alright,” I say, locking my phone screen and turning back to him. “Your mother now knows where we’re going and has a vague idea of what we’re doing. You need to figure out breakfast, because if I don’t get coffee soon, I may actually die.”

“Which direction at least, so I don’t take us completely out of the way?”

I think for a second. “South. Something over by the mall perhaps?”

“Are we looking for quick and easy or sit down and enjoy experiences?” he asks as he finally pulls out of his parking spot onto the road.

“Nothing crazy, but otherwise whatever you want,” I say with a smile.

“That’s not helpful,” he says and I shrug. “Have I taken you to the brunch place next to Olive Garden yet?” he asks.

I think for a second. “I don’t think so?”

“Okay,” he says. “We’ll go there.” He cuts down some roads I don’t think I’ve ever been on, but we end up in the Perimeter Mall complex. The restaurant has cold brew and the most delicious breakfast food I’ve ever had so I’m happy and it doesn’t take too long to get our food. We’re back in the car by 7:45. “Where are we going?” he asks again as he starts the engine.

“Nope,” I say. He rolls his eyes.

“Well you need to tell me where I’m driving.”

I chuckle. “I’m going to put it into my phone and then you can listen to the voice of Waze.”

Fifteen minutes later when we merge onto I-85 from the Parkway, he starts asking questions again. “Are we going somewhere downtown?”

“We are not.”

“Are we leaving the Atlanta Metroplex?”

I chuckle. “You are _so_ determined to figure out where we’re going, aren’t you?”

“Very much so,” he says. “At least tell me how long we’ll be in the car?”

I think about it and then decide that doesn’t give away too much. “Four hours. Approximately. There’s a reason this is going to be an all-day affair.”

“Four hours?” he repeats, turning to look at me.

“Watch the road please,” I say with a little smirk. “I thought you liked road trips?”

“I do,” he says. “I love road trips. I just didn’t realize this was one.”

I bite my lip. “Do you not want to go?”

He rolls his eyes. “Of course, I want to go. I need to find out what’s so amazing you’ve been keeping it a massive secret.”

Another 10 minutes and I-85 splits off by the airport, but we stay on I-75. “Have I mentioned I love you lately?” I say quietly.

“I love you, too, babe,” he says. “I did get you a present, by the way. I hope that’s allowed.”

I chuckle. “I got you one, too,” I say patting my backpack between my feet. “And, I was saving this bit of news to be part of the present, but I just decided I’m going to tell you now instead.”

“Oh?” he says, glancing at me.

“Remember when Coach made Andrew and I go over with the rest of the team on Friday after the game?” He nods. “He was obviously doing his you were all amazing speech while staring at me, like he always does.”

Benji chuckles. “Sala-star.”

“Shush,” I say. He chuckles again. “Anyway, he also decided to, uh, cancel practice tomorrow.” I wait for him to realize what that means as I stare out the window.

“Wait, that means, you don’t have to be at the school in the middle of the day tomorrow,” he finally says.

“Correct.”

“Which means…”

“I don’t have to be anywhere until Brasstown at five. I _do_ have to write that English paper and study for Euro, but otherwise…”

“And my parents both work because Presidents’ Day is _not_ a real holiday.”

“Exactly my point.”

He’s grinning and he glances at me again. “I may now be more excited about tomorrow than I am about today.”

“That was definitely not my intention,” I say grumpily.

He chuckles. “I’m sorry. We don’t get a lot of unsupervised time alone and I… I have a very hot boyfriend that I would really like to have a lot more sex with.”

I laugh. “ _God_ , that would be nice. But yes, tomorrow, I’m all yours.”

“Except while you’re writing your paper and studying,” he says.

“Didn’t you say you had an art project to work on?”

“I do,” he agrees.

“Okay, then,” I say and I bite my lip. “Now, back to today.”

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Not yet.”

An hour after the airport, we exit I-75 onto I-16 and that basically answers the question of where we’re going. “Savannah?” he says with raised eyebrows.

I nod. “Yep.”

“What are we doing in Savannah?”

I shrug. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

When the highway turns into a regular road as we enter Savannah a little over two hours later, I tell Benji to pick somewhere for Lunch. There’s a Korean Barbeque place that he decides on and it’s not bad.

“Here,” I say, gesturing when we walk outside. “There’s a Family Dollar. We can get drinks and snacks there.”

“Drinks and snacks?” he asks with raised eyebrows as we walk along the sidewalk in front of the strip mall.

I roll my eyes. “We’re almost there at this point, so I’m just going to tell you. We’re going hiking, kind of, so yes, drinks and snacks.”

“We drove to Savannah… to go _hiking_?”

I roll my eyes again. “Yes. Bram grew up down here and he told me about this place and it’s going to be amazing, so come on. We’re also having dinner down by the river later if it makes you feel better,” I tell him when he’s still staring at me.

“You know I’m not athletic… or outdoorsy…”

“Benji, _Simon_ has been where we’re going. You’re more both of those things than he is. I won’t let you die. Promise.” That seems to make him feel better.

Five minutes later, we’re back in the car and 20 minutes after that we’re parking in the middle of Skidaway Island State Park. He starts to open his door. “Wait a second, I need to get a couple things out first,” I tell him.

“There’s a paved trail,” he notes, looking across the street.

“For a little bit, yeah, but then you’re going to need to trust, me, Bram, this map he drew, and this compass!” I say extracting the map and compass from my backpack. He swallows heavily. “It’ll be worth it. I promise. Simon showed me pictures from when they were here.”

“I’m only agreeing to this because you claim Simon managed to do it and I _cannot_ let the most painful unathletic person ever to out-athletic me,” Benji says with a chuckle.

“I’m sure he’d love to hear that,” I joke as we finally get out of the car.

We follow the short, paved trail until its end, and then we follow a worn dirt trail into the woods. “And you’re sure you know where we’re going?” Benji asks after 15 minutes of walking.

“Yep,” I say. “Oh! That’s our tree, okay,” I say. Simon sent me a picture of it, so I’m sure that’s it. I leave the path and Benji stares at me for a second.

“But the path goes that way,” he says, pointing.

“I’m aware,” I say with a nod. “We’re going this way.”

Another 15 minutes of walking and I point to the clearing that’s finally visible up ahead. “That’s where we’re going,” I say.

“Where?”

I roll my eyes. “That clearing. Behind the giant tree.”

“What are you planning to do there?”

“I brought a blanket and we got snacks,” I say, shrugging. “Honestly, I was just trying to find somewhere we could be alone today and that’s when Bram told me about this place.”

Benji smiles at me for a second and then grabs my hand in his, threading our fingers together. I chuckle a little and then he lifts our hands to his lips and kisses the back of mine. “You’re right, I love it,” he says. I laugh a little and pull him forward until we get past the tree.

“First,” I say. “I promised my mom pictures!” He raises an eyebrow. “Can you please just take one not inappropriate selfie with me to send her?” I ask.

He chuckles. “Yeah, okay.”

We take a few selfies. Each progressively more inappropriate than the one before. “Yeah, no one needs to see that,” I tell him when he starts kissing my neck.

“So put the phone away,” he whispers and I do. I slide my phone into my back pocket and drop my backpack to the ground as I wrap my arms around his back. “I love you,” he says when he pulls his lips away from my neck.

“I love you, too,” I say, smiling at him. “Want to sit down now?”

He chuckles. “You did bring a blanket,” he says and gestures to the bag. I pull the blanket out and spread it on the ground before dropping on top of it. I pat the space next to me and he sits, too. “So, how long do we have?”

“Dinner reservations are at 6. And it’s a half-hour drive, plus the like 40-minute walk back out,” I tell him.

He looks at his phone. “It’s 2:30. So 2 hours, give or take.” He drops his phone onto the blanket next to him and opens his arms toward me. I laugh a little and move closer to him until my head lands on his shoulder and his arms close around me. I wrap my arms around him, too and we just stay there for a long minute in the silence of nature. “This is actually perfect,” he says.

“Yeah?” I ask, looking up at him.

“Totally worth the drive,” he admits.

“I’m glad you think so. I was actually worried for a little while there.”

“Honestly,” he says quietly. “I was, too, but now that we’re here and I can just hold you for two hours with no one to bug us but the wildlife, I understand.”

“Just to be clear, I am _not_ having sex with you in the middle of the woods.”

He laughs. “Yeah, no,” he agrees. “We’ll save that for tomorrow. In a bed.”

“Please.”

“But I do plan on keeping you right here in my arms for exactly as long as you’ll let me,” he says and then he kisses the top of my head and I smile against his shoulder.

We stay there until just after 4:30, entangled in each other’s arms with kisses and conversation. We never even touch our snacks which we both laugh about as we’re cleaning up and then I remember one last thing Simon sent me a picture of. “The tree,” I say with a smirk. “You carry a pocket knife, right?” He makes a face at me, but nods as he follows me toward the largest tree. “Let me find it,” I say and I start scanning the trunk until _Aha!_ “There it is. I’m gonna let you do this part because your handwriting is far more legible,” I say, “and you’ll make a prettier heart.” He’s looking at me. I roll my eyes and point to the little heart carved into the trunk of the tree with Bram and Simon’s initials and a date from 3 summers ago. “Please?” I say with a cheesy grin at him.

He chuckles and kisses me once briefly. “Only because this is the absolute cheesiest thing you can possible do in life and what are we if not the most cheesily romantic couple in known existence?” He steps in front of me and carves right below Simon and Bram’s heart.

“Happy?” he asks when he steps back.

I look at what he’s done and nod. “It’s perfect.” I kiss him quickly as he slides the pocket knife back into his pocket and then I grab his hand as we walk around the tree back toward the trail.

Once Benji parks along River Street, I immediately see our destination. “You can’t laugh,” I tell him. “Bram thought he was hilarious for suggesting this.”

Benji raises an eyebrow. “First of all, it’s a coffee bar… and restaurant, but honestly coffee because we still have another 4 hour drive to get home.”

“That sounds perfect. Why would I laugh?”

“The name,” I say, gesturing to the sign. It’s a good thing he never promised because Benji is immediately cackling. “Shush!” I tell him as we walk inside.

“Okay, but it’s too perfect, Vic,” he says.

I roll my eyes. “Which is exactly what Bram said.”

When we get to the hostess stand, the girl behind it looks up and smiles at us. She’s probably only a few years older than us with wavy blonde hair and when she speaks it’s with this perfect southern accent. Not Texas-Southern, real-southern. “Welcome to Vic’s on the River,” she says. “Do y'all have a reservation?”

I nod. “Uh, yeah, it should be under Victor.”

She smiles at me for a second and looks down at the list in front of her. “There y’all are. Okay, follow me,” she says and she picks up two menus before leading us into the dining room. She shows us to a table and then tells us the server will be right with us. We both look at the menu. It’s not massive, it’s a little overpriced (but Bram promises it’s worth it), and it’s very heavy on the southern comfort and seafood.

Bram’s right of course. It’s totally worth the price tag and the coffee is actually good which is important because I’m already getting tired and I’m sure Benji is too. I pay and I refuse to let him even look at the bill. “We literally worked 13 hours yesterday, Benji, stop. I can afford it,” I tell him when he continues to protest.

When we get back to the car, Benji pulls a box out of the backseat. “I guess I should give you your present now,” he says quietly as he he hands it to me.

“Oh, right, I have something for you, too,” I say and I pull the small wrapped box out of my backpack and hand it to him with the card.

He turns the box over in his hands a few, but then looks at me. “You first,” he says and nods toward the box I’m now holding.

I peel back the wrappings and then take the lid off. It’s, of course, another drawing, but this one belongs in a fucking museum. “Benji, I swear to _God_ ,” I say looking at him. “This must have taken forever! It’s amazing. Oh my _God_.”

He chuckles. “You like it?”

“Of course, I like it! Are you insane?” I ask, looking up at him. “It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful and amazing and _so fucking talented._ ”

He chuckles again. “Thanks,” he whispers and bites his lip. “I’m glad you like it, Vic. That one was really special to work on.”

“How long did this take?” I ask, looking up again.

He shrugs. “I’ve been working on it for a while,” he says evasively. I raise an eyebrow.

“How long is ‘a while’, Benji…”

“Um,” he says and then he bites his lip. “A couple months…”

I stare at him. “When did you start this?”

“Uh.” He pauses and looks at me. “The night of Spring Fling,” he says and he makes a face like he’s scared how I’m going to react.

“Holy shit,” I say, staring at him wide eyes. “Seriously?” He nods. “Benji, this is so… so… amazing… what the heck? Like you just… wow. I just, wow, wow, wow.”

He smiles at me for a long second and then looks at the box in his hands. “Can I open this now?” he asks.

I sigh. “I mean, I guess so, but you just completely blew me out the park with this frickin’ masterpiece. _God_ , Benji, this belongs in a fucking museum not my bedroom.”

He chuckles again and then he starts peeling the paper off his box. He starts to open the lid and glances at me for a second with this adorable little smile and then pulls off the lid. His mouth drops open as he stares at what’s inside and it makes me smile. _At least he likes it._ He picks it up and glances at me again. “This is gorgeous, Vic.”

I chuckle a little. “I saw it and thought of you,” I say quietly.

“It’s perfect,” he says. “Help me put it on?”

“Yeah, okay,” I say and he pulls the bracelet currently around his wrist off and drops it in the cup holder. I help him tie the new one on.

“Where did you find this?”

“Uh, my mom drug me and Pilar to this weird ass craft show the other weekend…”

“Well, I’ll have to thank her for that,” he says and then he smiles at me again. “I love this, but I love you more. Today was amazing, babe. Like, absolutely perfect.”

I smile at him. “I thought so, too, and I love you, too, a lot.”

He leans across the car and kisses me. “I guess we should probably start this four hour drive home now, huh?” he says.

I nod. “Yeah. Curfew and such.”

He chuckles and turns the car on as I pull my seatbelt on. We both completely forget about his card that was never opened.


End file.
